Katy Upperman

Lia has spent her life moving from place to place as an army brat, never staying anywhere long enough to truly put down roots. The one constant in her life has always been Beck, whose father also serves in the army. From childhood their lives intertwine until loss shatters everything Lia thought she knew. As she navigates grief, a new school, and new relationships, Lia must learn how to carry the past while still allowing herself a future.

Everything I Promised You was a beautifully written show more coming-of-age story about love, loss, and learning how to live with grief. Lia’s grief felt incredibly real and raw, and that emotional honesty grounded the story. Her experience of loss was messy, overwhelming, and deeply human, which made her journey feel authentic and relatable.

I really loved the alternating chapters between the past and the present. Seeing Lia and Beck’s relationship evolve - from childhood companions, to best friends, to first love - made their connection feel true and deeply meaningful. The present-day chapters showed Lia struggling to cope in the aftermath of Beck’s death and wondering if she would ever more forward.

Beck was such a strong character because of his unwavering presence and emotional depth; his love for Lia felt steady, genuine, and rooted in years of shared history. Isaiah, on the other hand, represented something different but equally compelling. He brought patience, understanding, and a sense of new possibility into Lia’s life, making him easy to care about in his own right. I appreciated that both characters were written thoughtfully, without diminishing one to elevate the other.

Lia’s friendships added warmth to the story as well. Macy in Virginia and her new friends in Tennessee - Paloma, Meagan, and Sophia - were all supportive and positive influences, showing how important friends are during times of upheaval. I also appreciated how well-rounded and likeable the parents were, both Lia’s and Beck’s, and I loved Beck’s younger twin sisters.

With short, easy-to-read chapters and well-developed characters, "Everything I Promised You" was an emotional, tender story that beautifully captured grief while still leaving room for hope. show less

Prepare the tissue box because this is a read to tear at the heart with a few chills along the way.

Callie's life has fallen apart ever since the death of her sister. She's on a road to self-destruction until her father steps in and offers her two choices: a camp in Montana or her aunt in Oregon. Although the second touches close on memories of her sister, Callie heads off to Oregon to help her aunt refurbish a house. But when Callie gets there, strange moments happen, which leave her with show more chills down her spine, and even an unexpected local boy might not be able to help the dark shadows heading her way.

This book was so much more than I expected it to be. While there's the wondrous moments of sweet romance, which make the heart melt, there's a chilling pain and darkness to grab and keep those pages turning. The first chapter sets the tone with a situation which demands attention. Callie is in pain, and although I wanted to dislike her for her obviously horrible way of handling things during those first pages, she's hard not to feel for. Her pain comes across real and convincing. She's easy to connect to and impossible not to root for.

Every moment and character comes to life, making this a tale to sink into. It plays at the emotions, allowing fear, sorrow, love and pain to hit with full force and drag in. This is one fans of romance with chills and ghosts won't want to miss.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and enjoyed reading this one so much that I'm leaving my honest thoughts. show less

I LOVED this book! It was the kind of read where I wanted to stay up all night to finish and couldn't get enough. I smiled and cried and felt so much while I read. I loved Elise and Mati together, they were just opposite enough but still had similarities, like their creativity and all they've been through. Elise lost her brother in Afghanistan and her mother has been distant since. Elise climbed into herself and doesn't have many connections to others. Mati has come from Afghanistan to show more America for his father's cancer treatment and is isolated here because of his ethnicity and religion. They both came together so wonderfully and helped each other branch out and be happier. I felt so bad when Elise's mom and sister in law were rude and racist toward Mati, but it was a great example of the prejudices people have.
This was sweet and sad and amazing! I definitely recommend!! show less

"All We Once Had" was a contemporary YA novel set against an appealing beach backdrop. I went into this one with high expectations because I loved "Everything I Promised You", but unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite as good for me. While the emotional depth and character focus were still very much Upperman’s style, the story felt heavier and more frustrating overall.

One of my biggest struggles was Piper herself. She constantly made the wrong choices, even when she knew better, and it show more became increasingly annoying to watch her repeat patterns that hurt both herself and others. I understood that she was a teenager dealing with intense grief and confusion, but some of her decisions made it hard to fully like her.

On the other hand, Henry was an absolute sweetie. He was considerate, mature and steady - the kind of grounding presence Piper needed. Tati, Piper’s sister, actually grew on me as the story progressed. At first she was difficult to connect with, but as more layers were revealed, I appreciated her complexity and the way grief shaped her differently than Piper.

This novel took on a lot of heavy themes: teenage angst, alcohol abuse, the death of parents, teenage pregnancy and abortion, unwanted male advances, and deep, lingering grief. While each topic was handled thoughtfully, the sheer number of serious issues packed into one story made it feel emotionally overwhelming at times.

Overall, this was an emotionally charged read with strong character work, but it didn’t quite reach the same impact for me as Upperman’s previous novel. show less